Man gets 37 months for child porn

Published: Friday, November 9, 2012 at 8:01 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, November 9, 2012 at 8:01 p.m.

A federal judge has sentenced a Gainesville man to 37 months in prison for possession of child pornography.

Phillip William Winters, 34, was arrested in August 2011 by the Gainesville Police Department.

After he serves his time, Winters will face 10 years of supervised release. U.S. District Court Judge Stephan P. Mickle handed down the sentence on Wednesday after Winters pleaded guilty to the charges.

According to published reports and court documents, Winters worked in the information technology department at the Downtown Branch of the Alachua County Public Library before his arrest.

The incident came to light after Winters’ then-girlfriend was transferring a movie from his computer to hers. She found some nude pictures of underage girls and called police.

Specifically, the woman said she found 15 photos of naked girls between 5 and 10 years old.

Police searched Winters’ house with a warrant and found a 2GB Kingston flash drive in his dresser drawer that contained images of a nude 12-year-old girl.

Winters was arrested and charged with 10 counts of possessing the illicit images, and was placed in federal custody due to the nature of the charges.

Because the flash drive was manufactured outside the continental United States, a court document said, it had traveled in interstate and foreign commerce.

According to Title 18 of the United States Code, if child pornography is produced using materials on a device that has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce, it is a federal offense.

<p>A federal judge has sentenced a Gainesville man to 37 months in prison for possession of child pornography.</p><p>Phillip William Winters, 34, was arrested in August 2011 by the Gainesville Police Department.</p><p>After he serves his time, Winters will face 10 years of supervised release. U.S. District Court Judge Stephan P. Mickle handed down the sentence on Wednesday after Winters pleaded guilty to the charges.</p><p>According to published reports and court documents, Winters worked in the information technology department at the Downtown Branch of the Alachua County Public Library before his arrest.</p><p>The incident came to light after Winters' then-girlfriend was transferring a movie from his computer to hers. She found some nude pictures of underage girls and called police.</p><p>Specifically, the woman said she found 15 photos of naked girls between 5 and 10 years old.</p><p>Police searched Winters' house with a warrant and found a 2GB Kingston flash drive in his dresser drawer that contained images of a nude 12-year-old girl.</p><p>Winters was arrested and charged with 10 counts of possessing the illicit images, and was placed in federal custody due to the nature of the charges.</p><p>Because the flash drive was manufactured outside the continental United States, a court document said, it had traveled in interstate and foreign commerce.</p><p>According to Title 18 of the United States Code, if child pornography is produced using materials on a device that has been shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce, it is a federal offense.</p>